The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced its intention to develop a Climate Resilient Fisheries Management Plan using USD 96,572 (EUR 82,194) in grant funding.
“Climate change is already impacting Maryland,” DNR Resilient Systems Officer Jackie Specht said in a release. “A climate-resilient fishery management plan will allow Maryland to prepare for both the challenges and opportunities that arise for Maryland’s fishing resources and communities in the future.”
Funding was awarded through the Blue Convergence Fund, a nonprofit established in 2025 as a Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA)-sponsored project. Blue Convergence Fund quickly launched the 2025 Climate Resilient Fisheries Engagement Grants, which issued grants to 11 projects globally supporting “science-based efforts and collaborations that use existing knowledge to catalyze climate-resilient fisheries practices and strategies.”
Marlyand DNR said it will use new authorities granted under the 2025 Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act to develop a fishery management plan that enables adaptation and resilience in preparing for environmental and climate change. According to the department, the water temperature of the Chesapeake Bay has risen 2.5 degrees Celsius since 1985. Over roughly that same period, sea level rise has impacted 29,100 acres of upland forests and farms, converting them to tidal marsh.
“This project will bring together Maryland state fishery managers, scientific experts, and fishing community members to collaboratively develop a climate resilient fishery management plan for state-managed fisheries,” Blue Convergence Fund said in announcing the Climate Resilient Fisheries Engagement Grants in February.
The state is now looking for participants in a fishery management plan workgroup that will work with DNR staff to draft and review a fishery management plan. Applications will be accepted through 13 May.
